Mystery at Blackpool as Nile Ranger returns...again

William Watt

Mystery surrounds the reappearance of Nile Ranger at Bloomfield Road this morning.

The striker claimed he was told to ‘drive back to London’ by boss Neil McDonald after returning to the club in August following eight months AWOL from the club.

But this morning he was back at Bloomfield Road, after checking into the club’s Blackpool FC hotel on Sunday night.

No-one from the club was available to comment on the 24-year-old’s reappearance, or to explain why he is back on the Fylde coast.

He wasn’t among the 20 players who took part in training at the club’s training ground this morning, his car instead remained parked outside of the club’s stadium.

Should he be welcomed back it was represent a huge U-turn by manager McDonald, who last month said:

“I told him it wasn’t personal but he wasn’t in my plans now at Blackpool.

“I want players who are committed and he certainly wasn’t as he didn’t come in when he should have. I’ve nipped it in the bud now.”

Those comments came after Ranger again hit headlines again this summer after failing to report for pre-season training on time.

He went AWOL last season, when Lee Clark was manager, and missed the last five months of the campaign only to be handed a second chance by McDonald.

But having failed to report in on either of the pre-arranged dates, the former Newcastle front man was turned away from training when he finally showed up two weeks ago.

His time at Bloomfield Road has been a turbulent one, and after Ranger calling his Blackpool contract “a joke” on social media last season, many were stunned when Pool exercised their option to tie him to the club for another 12 months.

Ranger had claimed his poor contract made it difficult to “fill my fridge”, with reports suggesting his pay-as-you-play deal left him with £150 a week if he was not selected in the first team.

Last month it appeared his Blackpool career was over and only time will tell just why he appears to be back at the club.